James withington



(No Model.)

IMPLEMBNT POR STRETGHING WIRE..

Patented Aug. 11,1885.`

INVENTOR WITNESSES: dymu/ NJETERS, Pnuwumugmpm, wnshingmn, u c.

Unirse *raras Fries@ JAMES VITHINGTON, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE TREN TON IRON COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPLEMENT Fon STRETCHING WIRE..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 324,285, dated August l1, 1835.

(No model.)

To all whom it may colzceni Be it known that l, JAiuEs WITHINGTON, a citizen of the United States, residing in Trenton, New Jersey, have invented an Improved Implement for Stretching Vire, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a device which' can be readily employed to stretch sections or lengths of twisted or cabled 1o wires, whether barbed or plain, employed to form wire fences.

A preferred form of an implement conveniently embodying` my invention is represented in the accompanying drawings and described r 5 in this specification, the particular subjectmatter claimed as novel being hereinafter .definitely specified.

In the drawings, Figure lis a side elevation l representing a practical mode of employing 2o my device. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of an implement embodying my invention. Fig. 3 is a central vertical section of the same, and Fig. 4. a side elevation of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre- 2 5 sponding parts in all the figures.

A is the stem, body, or core of the device, the same being a cylinder of metal, conveniently made hollow, and equipped at its lower extremity with a point, a. Near its lowerex- 3o tremity the stem is providedwith a circumferential-step or horizontally-extending iange, (LX. Closely encircling the cylindric stein isa tubular sleeve, B, so accurately fitted as to be capable of rotation upon the said sleeve, resting or stepped upon the step ax, and` extending almost to the top of the stem. At its upper extremity the sleeve is provided with a ratchet-face or circular ratchet, b.

C C are two hook-provided collars which io loosely encircle the sleeve, and which respectively rest upon a circumferential rib ,a,formed upon it and upon the step ax. The hooks of these collars are designated c c. The upper hook-provided collar is extended laterally to form a bearing, 0X, for a stop-pawl, D, which is mounted upon the upper face of said bearing. The stop-pawl, in the'mounting` of the parts, is in range of engagement with the teeth of the ratchet-face b of the sleeve. A pawl- 5o spring, dx, applied to the bearing of the stoppawl, bears on said stop-pawl and retains itto duty when not forcibly deflected by its handie d.

Mounted so as to closely encircle the tubular sleeve, and resting upon the upper face of the ratchet or top of thetubularsleeve,isa ratchetactuating lever, E, which is adapted to turn freely upon the tubular stem. This actuatinglever is provided with an actuating-pawl, c, which in the mounting of the parts is set to engage the teeth of the ratchet-face of the sleeve, and which is held to duty by a spring, ex. The actuating-lever is held in position upon the tubular sleeve by a lock-nut, F, on the stem. A The tubular sleeve is also provided with a series of radially-projecting tie pins, hooks, or kindred devices, G.

Such being a description of the construction of my device, its operation is as follows: The implement as an entirety being pressed into the ground in a vertical position-in, for instance, prcpinquity to a post, as H, Fig. 1, a tree, or other fixturechains or ropes I are made fast between said vpost and the hooks of the hook-collars. The cables or wires XV which are to be stretched are then made fast either directlyto the tie-pins of the tubular sleeve or else through the medium of disk-cam cablesplices or eccentric cam-grips S, of a character well known to wire-fence makers, to short sections W of wire or ropes, themselves connected to the tie pins of the sleeve. The ratchet-actuating lever is then deiiected in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2, with the result that its actuating-pawl, beingiu bite with the ratchet face of the tubular sleeve,occasious a predetermined rotation of said sleeve corresponding to the throw of said actuating-lever. After its throw the tubular sleeve is automatically locked by the stop-pawl. The actuating-lever is then thrown back, its actuating-pawl slipping over the teeth of the ratchet, and a further advance rotation is made by it, the result of which operation is that the tubular sleeve is rotated to the desired degree, and 95 the cables, ropes, or wires attached to it wound up upon it as upon a winding-drum, with the further result of stretching the cables of the fence entirely taut. Of course it is essential to effect the engagement of the hook collars ico with a fixture, as otherwise there would be no point of rigid hearing for the stop-pawl o1' of resistance for the implement as an entirety.

Having thus deseri bed my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a wirestretching implement, the combination of a central body, core, or stem, a sleeve mounted to rotate thereon, and provided with a ratchet-face and with pins or hooks, hook-eollars adapted to be connected with a iixed point of support and so to maintain the implement in a fixed position, a stoppawl,

and a ratchet-actuatinglever provided with an actuatingpawl which engages with the ratchetfaee ofthe tubular sleeve, substantially as de scribed.

2. The combination, in a Wirestretching implement, of a body, core, or stem having a tapering` or pointed lower extremity and pro- In presenee of- HENRY D. SoUDnim, XV. G. Srnmvianineu, J. BoNsilLL TAYLOR. 

